Solicitous
by afluffykiwi
Summary: It only took two years in Beacon Hills for Ashton Monroe's life to fall apart, and not even five years after that for it to get turned upside down again. book one of the sankofa series [edit 10/5/17: rewrites of ch 1-3; pov and tense change/stabilized, new descriptions added, some taken out]
1. In the Dark of the Night

an: i dont own teen wolf or it's characters but i do own my ocs. please leave feedback, what works and what doesn't, so that each chapter will be better than the last :) reviews keep me going. also, this is un-beta'd

EDIT 10/5/17: rewritten! pov change, tense should be more consistent, stuff added in

* * *

A safe life is a steady life. It is predictable. A person does the same thing every day and any attempts at shaking things up, at adding some variety, is minor at best. What people know is proven to be okay, and if they value personal safety over all else, then that monotony is bearable.

The past few years, starting school, starting and ending winter break, have been uneventful. You see, monotony was something Ashton could handle. Monotony was better than death. It was better than pain.

Then routine changed, monotony was gone, and life wasn't so safe anymore.

One night was all it took. The most eventful night she'd had in years, and she was unconscious for a good portion of it. Typical.

 _Jan 28, 2011_

The interior of the bookstore was quiet and still in the way a small space occupied by two people shouldn't be. Poorly lit in some areas, the overhead lights shone an aged yellow, flickering sporadically. The light caught on the dust motes that swirled in the air. Ashton closed her eyes for a moment. Benny needed to change the bulbs, this was ridiculous. Fix the heating while he was at it, maybe then she'd finally ditch the cold that lined the length of her spine no matter how many hoodies she bundled up in. And upgrade to digital clocks. This lethargic ticking was getting on her nerves.

She pouted, the bout of internal complaining doing nothing for her sour mood, and slouched down in the rolling chair behind the front desk. She rolled back and forth, sneakers squeaking against the gray tiles.

9:05. A Friday night after a long week of school and work – if it were any other Friday the store would be locked up and she'd be heading home. She didn't _need_ to be in too much of a hurry, since she had no plans and, quite frankly, never had plans. But she wasn't about to wait around for some asshole who burst into the store ten minutes before closing, promising that he'd 'only be five minutes'.

"Five minutes, my ass." She grumbled, standing up.

Her hand brushed over the countertop as she walked, the other coming up to make sure the keys were hanging from their lanyard around her neck. It was so quiet; the faintest whistle of her breathing combined with her footsteps and the ticking of the clock made up the only noise. She pulled in a deeper breath, the musty scent of old books stretching and settling in her lungs. Yes, it was too quiet, and if he wasn't picking out a book, he was being booted out ASAP.

She swept through the aisles, not once, but two times. He wasn't there. There just wasn't enough space for him to hide, even with all the bookshelves and haphazard piles.

She turned in time to catch his figure darting out the door. He'd hunched over awkwardly, arms wrapped tight in front of him. Like he was holding something—like he was _hiding_ something. He was gone before she could see what it was, but her heart had already dropped.

"Hey!"

The aisles and piles tripped her up in her haste to catch up, but once she was out of the shop, she sprinted like she was made of wind itself. With the sun long set and mid-winter chill set in, her breath streamed out of her mouth and hung into the air behind her.

Lucky for Ashton, but the would-be thief's breath lingered too.

He kept a solid lead, and every turn he made was an instant stab of panic right through her chest, until she made the same turn and had him in her sights again.

Beacon Hills wasn't a big city, but in the thick of it were plenty of alleys and winding side streets. In her haste to catch the guy, the fact that they were out of sight of the street went unnoticed until a scream tore through the night. She stopped, feet slipping on the grime coating the ground, breath catching in her throat. The man had made another turn just seconds before the scream, leaving her alone. For just a moment, because a few steps forward and she'd make the same turn. She'd get closer to the source of the scream, which could very well be the man.

She could be safe, turn around, and call the cops. They could show up and be too late, but it would stop being her responsibility.

She could risk everything and walk forward.

Air rushed into her lungs, the stench of rotting food from a nearby dumpster forcing a cough immediately after. But it was enough to shake her into action, and she pulled the lanyard off to fit the keys between her knuckles.

She pulled her shoulders back, strode forward. She made the turn and swept the new area with her eyes.

It was a small parking lot, one corner lit with a street lamp and the rest swallowed up in shadow. The distant light silhouetted… something. That wasn't vague for dramatic effect, but because she couldn't tell what the _fuck_ she was looking at. A shadowed lump, yes, which began twitching and jerking. Her lips parted, a sudden inhale whistling in her parched throat. The lump twisted, elongated.

It was _not_ one lump. It was _two_ things. It was a _something_ and a _someone_ , and a dark, syrupy pool was spreading out beneath that someone.

Ashton took an involuntary step backwards, eyes locking with the bright, candy red eyes of the creature. Her keys bit into her hand, a bright sting that spread into a steady burn. The moment was still—like the moment before a sick drop in a rollercoaster—everything was still save for the heaving of both of their chests.

She was so screwed. _Fuck_ risks.

She blinked and the creature was gone. Ashton spun on her heel, taking off back the way she came. The shadows had grown, or her panic had dimmed the edges of her vision, and either way it was screwing her over. Her footsteps smacked like gunshot against the ground, but there was no way she could stop to do anything about it. And if she made it out of this alive, she was never doing this kind of thing again.

A force slammed into her back, knocking a scream out of her as she sailed through the air. She hit the ground and rolled, legs cracking against a dumpster. Pain blossomed in her knees as they twisted, and she lay whimpering until the blinding pain faded enough to think. She pushed herself onto her elbows, prepared to crawl, when the creature stopped in front of her.

"No, no, no, _please—"_ She pushed back, palms catching in the cracks of the pavement.

But why try begging? It wasn't like it could under stand her.

It loomed over her for one terrible moment, then pounced. The pain in her legs was nothing compared to the pain erupting in her side. It spread like fire through her, eating her up until nothing was left.

 _Jan 29, 2011_

Acrid spaghetti Bolognese and garlic breadsticks hit her like a punch in the face, and in an instant Ashton was conscious. Her head lifted, grime and hair plastered to her cheek, which she quickly rubbed off on her sweater.

Okay, so no actual spaghetti was thrown in her face. Her nose burned though, and the space behind her eyes pounded. It must have been an intense dream. One that left her drooling like crazy.

Ashton peeled her eyes open, breath catching in her throat at the sight of an alley. Immediately the events of the night came to her in a rush, and she scrambled to her feet. Her back thumped against the crumbling brick building, eyes rolling wildly as she searched for the beast. Fuck, fuck, where was it? Why wasn't she dead? Why—

Her eyes landed on the pool of blood, the dented dumpster, all visible in the morning light. That shocked the panic from her mind. Okay. Okay, she was dead and this was a let-down of an afterlife. That had to be it.

Don't be stupid, Ash. That's not your blood. That's the thief's blood.

She closed her eyes and sagged against the wall, a heavy breath of air leaving her. She almost died. She spent the night passed out in an alley. She saw a man die in a parking lot. That was fine. She was fine.

But she wouldn't be if Benny found out she didn't lock up the night before. She pushed off the wall and began the walk back to the bookstore. Her phone was there, though she highly doubted she missed any calls or texts. Her keys were—wrapped around her wrist. Okay, Ash, get your stuff, lock up, get out before Benny shows up to open.

She stepped out onto the main street a few minutes later, a grimace settling on her face at the flashing red and blue of a police cruiser. There was the officer, and there was Benny.

She trudged over to them. "Benny—"

"Ashton Monroe, you have a lot of explaining to do." Benny whirled around to glare at her. "You didn't lock up?"

She shrunk under the shorter man's disappointment, and dropped her gaze. "Someone stole something when I was supposed to close. I tried to catch them."

"So, why is the store unlocked now?" Benny snapped.

"I'm gonna need medical responders." A voice from the side cut in.

Ashton frowned before it clicked that the officer was speaking into his walkie-talkie. His eyes were fixed somewhere below her head, and she looked down at herself. She was soaked in blood, sweater torn nearly to shreds on the back and wrapping around the sides. Her boss gasped, snapping out of his angry haze, and reached out to grab her upper arms.

"You should see the other guy. The other guy being the thief. I think he's dead." Her head got light at the verbal acknowledgement of what she'd seen.

"You should sit down." The officer removed Benny's hands and directed her to a nearby bench.

She dropped, resting her head against the wall. The officer knelt down in front of her, pulling out a pen and a pad of paper.

"Alright. Ashton, right?" He waited for her hum of confirmation. "Can you tell me what happened?"

She shrugged, exhaustion leeching the strength from her limbs. Her eyes fell shut. She couldn't be sure of what happened, she didn't think any of this would turn out well for her. She wasn't hurt and a man was dead. She was the only witness. There were no lies coming to mind, however.

"I just wanted to get back what he stole and go home," she started, corners of her mouth spasming before they pulled down. "I didn't even catch up."

"Can you start from the beginning?"

And so, she told him. She told him the truth unflinchingly until it was time to describe the beasty thing. Then she hesitated, lifting her head. She looked at him, then swept the area with her eyes. A pair of onlookers stood a ways away, both dark haired and vaguely familiar to Ashton. Aside from that, she didn't care to notice more. This was an intriguing sight, of course they were staring.

"Look, I . . . I don't know what it was. It was big. I-It _killed_ that guy," She twisted to point at the alley she came out of. "In the parking lot near here. A-and I tried to run, I really did, but it was so _fast._ It knocked me down."

She shrugged, fingers pressing into her cheek,"I thought it bit me, but I guess I just—I dunno, passed out from fear?"

The officer gestured at her stained clothes with the end of his pen, "You know, you've got blood on your clothes. And they're ripped."

"Yeah? Well, the thing had claws. They probably just caught on it. And it just killed a guy, it was bloody." She licked her cracked lips. "I know it sounds stupid. It sounds _crazy—"_

"There's been a few instances like this these past few weeks." The officer stood. "I'm surprised you haven't heard about it."

Ashton blinked a few times, uncomprehensively. She then sucked in a sharp breath, brows pulling together.

"'Instances'?"

"Animal attacks. In town. I haven't seen this body yet, but . . . it fits the M.O." He paused to murmur into his walkie-talkie. "Paramedics will be here in a moment. Let them check you out, then come to the station to file a formal report, okay?"

Ashton swallowed around the tightness in her throat. "Okay."

He hesitated, then went to talk to Benny again. Ashton sat, trying and failing to comprehend what he just said. To reconcile the unbelievable quality of her memories with the mundane explanation. Benny sat beside her as the officer strode into the alley, sitting beside her and draping his jacket across her shoulders.

Something clicked into place, in the core of her being. She wasn't who she was before. She couldn't be who she was before. And she didn't know what that meant. Not entirely. All she knew was that she dodged death, unscathed, which the paramedics confirmed when they arrived.

They also said she was in shock. She didn't believe it, not really. Maybe that was denial, but she didn't want to deal with doctors or—or therapists. She didn't need them.

She was fine.

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an: so it took 2 months for me to finally get this written out so i dont expect this to have a rapid post schedule. still, i love ashton and i love her storyline and i want to shaaare it.


	2. Midnight Visitor

a/n: this is the first story ive ever outlined in my life which is making it a bit easier to write but also stressful bc if i lose interest ill have a lot of stuff WASTED.

a few warnings- for the story in general prepare for some deviations from canon. new characters mean some things change, y'know.

for this chapter, it's not graphic but there is a broken arm. if you don't like hearing about it, skip from 'his hand darted out' to 'i cradled my arm'

i hope you enjoy! please leave a comment, it helps a lot :)

EDIT 10/5/17: rewritten!

* * *

 _Jan 29, 2011_

Ashton could've left the Sherriff's station. In fact, she could have left a half an hour ago. Instead, she leaned against the tan, peeling wall near the door, and stared up at the stained tile ceiling. Five-hour old coffee, cigarette butts, and sweat mingled in the air and assaulted her nose, yet she still breathed through it. Her nose whistled, a sharp and consistent sound that she latched onto to steady herself.

All five-foot-ten-inches of her faded from attention, a skill she carefully cultivated. It helped that she changed into clean clothes, and washed up, before coming to the station. It was really just for her own comfort—the officers stopped taking notice a long time ago.

 _"Dude, I'm telling you, there was another attack last night."_

She bristled, jaw snapping shut. A room full of officers, who were all there when she filed the report; why were they so incredulous? She lowered her face, angling it to look back into the building.

And… none of them were talking to each other. None of them were talking, period. Who did she hear, then?

" _Okay, maybe there was. What does that have to do with us?"_

 _"Seriously?"_

 _"Maybe it was just an animal attack."_

 _"Yeah. Right. Look, I hear there was a witness. I hear she was attacked too."_

 _"Wouldn't she be dead?"_

 _"Nah, she's alive. And if she's alive—"_

 _"She was bitten?"_

The front doors of the station opened, and Ashton jumped, spun around, and pressed her lips together in a thin line. Two guys walked in, too focused on their own conversation to notice her. But she noticed them, _and_ she noticed that they were talking about her _and_ that they seemed to have some idea of what happened.

"Why's that any of your business?" She narrowed her gaze at them.

They faltered, stopping a few feet away from her. Now that they're faces were turned to her, recognition stirred in her mind. Some guys from the lacrosse team. S something… Scott! Scott _McCall_ , who'd been the talk of the school with his boost in lacrosse prowess. And his friend. Stiles.

The longer the silence stretch, the more her frustration grew. It began to buzz in her ear, drowning out the tedious sounds coming from further inside the building. She took in a sharp breath through her nose, wincing at the scent that hit like a sharp flick to the nose. Sweat and something like Axe or Old Spice, or some other overbearing brand. Sweat, Axe-spice, and ... wet dog? Wet dog but wrong. She rubbed at her nose, hoping it would get the smell to dissipate.

"What do you mean?" Scott asked, Adams apple bobbing with a swallow.

His heart beat jumped. She shouldn't have been able to hear that. Not important.

"The animal attack. The girl, the witness. Why's that your business?" She crossed her arms over her chest, gripping her biceps.

Scott shifted in place, "You heard us talking about that?"

" _Yes,"_ Ashton hissed. "Obviously."

"Because you can't hear far outside the building from here," Stiles gestured towards the door as he moved closer, forcing Ashton back. "Were you the girl? The one that was attacked?"

"That's not any of your business." She should have gone home.

"You were!" Stiles turned back to Scott, shoulders jumping up. She assumed it was paired with a pointed look.

They were blocking the only exit, and she was considering the consequences of shoving past them and bolting when Scott cut in.

"Are you bleeding?"

She stilled, apprehension taking hold of the creases in her face, tightening them. She'd washed an hour earlier—her hair was still damp in its ponytail—using all the body washes and conditioners she owned. _She_ could still smell the blood, but it was a psychological thing she wasn't going to acknowledge. Obviously. Even if it wasn't, there was no way he'd be able to smell it.

"No. I'm fine." She forced out through gritted teeth.

Scott shifted closer, "Are you sure? I-I can kind of smell—"

"How?" It burst out of her, high and reedy. "How on _Earth_ would you be able to smell that?"

"How could you hear our conversation from in here?" Stiles countered, an unexpected solemnness in his demeanor.

Ashton felt her last straw get flung into an incinerator. "I _don't know._ It's not _any_ of your business. Now, excuse me."

She pushed past them, shoved the double doors open, and stormed outside. They were talking to each other again, but she didn't what to know what they were saying or why they were saying it. In fact, she never wanted to run into them, or this weirdness, again.

The rest of the day passed without incident, since it was spent holed up in her bedroom. Her bedroom was safe: no more animal attacks, no parental confrontation about her whereabouts the night before, no police follow up. Just her and a warm bed. She dropped down onto her comforters and fell into a dead sleep.

 _Jan 30, 2011_

There was someone in her room.

Her mind processed the scrape of her window as a pair of feet dropped onto her carpet. She was aware in a moment, though her limbs were slow to react. So, she laid still, trying to locate their exact position without looking. Her new, absurd healing was actually useful, picking up soft breathing.

"I know you're awake."

Fucking fantastic, a man broke into her window. His voice was surprisingly smooth, not deep enough to settle at her spine and not high enough to settle in her teeth.

Ashton swallowed, opening her eyes and sitting upright. Though the room was dark, she had no trouble making out the details of him. Dark hair that was styled into a quiff, a five o'clock shadow, and an oversize leather jacket jumped out at her. But it was the eyes that made her blood run cold. Set under heavy brows, they revealed no emotion and stared into her very being.

She gripped her sheets, "You're letting in a draft."

He glanced at the window before dragging his gaze back to her. He stepped forward.

"What do you remember about last night?"

His presence bore down on her, attempting to squeeze out what he wanted to know. She was tempted to give in, unsteadiness from the previous day weakening her willpower from the get-go. Spite flared up, unexpected, but too much had interfered in her life. She was done.

"I'm sure there's security footage. If you can break in here, you can break in there and find it." She spat.

The air went still, and then the room was a blur. She slammed into the far wall, a hand wrapped around her throat. She sucked in a thin breath, clawing at his hand in a panic. He squeezed, forcing her to meet his eyes, and let go. She dropped to the ground.

Over her gasps, he spoke, "I'm going to ask again. What happened last night?"

She squeezed her eyes shut, swallowing before glaring up at him. The pain faded, making way for anger. It burned behind her eyes, and in the bags just below them, pressure building for a split moment. His head tipped to the side, his own eyes narrowing. She looked away.

"I was chasing a thief. An _animal_ killed him, then chased me. Haven't you heard? That's been happening." She sniffed. "I passed out. That's it."

"You and I both know that wasn't an animal. And we both know you didn't get out of it unharmed."

"I don't know that." She stood, bracing a hand against the wall. "I was just peachy when I woke up."

He shook his head, "No, you _healed._ Because you changed."

"Changed?" She barked out a laugh like tearing tinfoil. "Changed into what? A vampire? Or a- a werewolf?"

Her laughter cut off when he was silent for a beat to long. His raised brow said, 'yes, you idiot, a werewolf' clearer than anything he could have said. Fear hit cold in her heart, and she laughed again.

"Fantastic. A crazy guy broke into my room," She shook her head. "Werewolves aren't _real._ I wasn't attacked by one. I sure as shit didn't turn into one."

The guy sighed and shook his head. "I don't have time to reason with you."

His hand darted out, grabbed her arm, and squeezed. It cracked, and he didn't even wince with exertion. A scream tore out of her at the pain, her knees went weak, and she dropped once more. She cradled her arm to her chest, gasping so hard she couldn't ask what he fuck he was thinking.

"Set it. Before it heals wrong." He sounded _bored._

"You're crazy," She hissed. "I can't."

"You have to." He shook his head, and knelt.

She flinched away, tears finally breaking past her eyes to slip down her cheeks. She set her jaw, chin jutting out in a weak show of defiance.

"Give me your arm," He held his hand out.

She shook her head.

"Give me your _arm."_ His eyes flashed an electric blue, shocking her into a moment of laxness. He grabbed her arm, held it between his palms, and pressed in. She bit her lip, breaking the skin, as a scream tore past her throat again. He scoffed and stood before walking away.

She curled up against the wall, sobbing. This had to be a nightmare. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't be—

"Stop that, you're fine." He fixed her with a half-assed sneer. Like she wasn't worth the effort of a full one.

"You broke my arm, you dick, I'm not—"

Wait.

She looked down at her arm. Aside from the lingering tremors, she felt nothing but the ghost of pain. She was fine; again, she was fine. Her eyes flicked up to him in shock, and he raised a thick brow at her.

He answered the question she was too jumbled to ask, "You're fine because you have accelerated healing. Because you changed."

"Because I'm a werewolf?" Her voice didn't even come from her. Well it did, but it didn't feel like it and it didn't sound like it.

"Because you're a werewolf." He hauled her to her feet. "Because you were bit by an Alpha."

"An alpha? The animal? Is that why it had red eyes?"

"It's not an animal, but yes. An alpha's bite can make you into a werewolf. _He_ made you and he made Scott."

"Scott? McCall?" She lifted her hands, pressing her fingers into her hair.

He nodded, brows scrunching together.

"I saw him earlier, h-he smelled blood on me. He shouldn't have been able to smell that." Ashton blinked a few times, then flicked her hands into the air. "He smells like dog!"

"Well. That's the scent. He smells like a wolf, like you, and like me." Derek shook his head.

He nudged her over back across the room, then had her sit on the bed. He then knelt across from her, a few feet back, and held her faze.

"We have enhanced senses. Smell and hearing mostly. Strength. Quick healing." His eyes flashed once more. "Your eyes will change. Have changed. We have fangs and claws. You need to learn to keep that under control."

"The Alpha didn't look like a person, will I—"

"No, you're a beta. You aren't as powerful as an alpha, especially since you aren't a part of his pack."  
"I'm not?" Ashton frowned, rubbing at the seam of her mouth with trembling fingers. "Shouldn't I be? He bit me, he turned me. And he turned Scott—is Scott a part of his pack?"  
Derek let out a frustrated breath through his nose. "No, Scott isn't. Neither of you will be until you kill with the Alpha on the full moon. Which is in a week. You either kill with him or he kills you. Join, or die."

Her mouth went dry. It didn't occur to her that she'd kill people. She didn't want to—she just wanted to be left alone.

"I don't want to kill anyone." Her voice was beginning to shake.

"Then help me find the Alpha. I need to stop him. I need you to find him." Derek leaned forward, beginning to shift from intense to earnest.

"Why me, how am I supposed to find him?"

"You're one of his betas, you have a connection. A connection I _need_ to find him and kill him." Derek scooted closer.

She shook her head, dazed, and stood. She walked the perimeter of the from, tremors travelling past her fingers and up her arms. This was too much to process, too much to consider. Until now, she hadn't done much of anything. She didn't have these choices to make. She whirled around, running her fingers through her hair and she tugged on the tangles that formed in the curls.

"Why isn't _Scott_ helping you?" She snapped.

Derek stood. "Scott ... has other priorities."

Heat hit her nose, like when she ate something spicy and it cleared her out. It smelled like anger felt, deep in her chest, but it wasn't coming from her. It had to be his. She wrinkled her nose and rubbed it.

"Scott's a good guy. If he's not helping you—"

"Do you even know Scott?" Derek cut her off. "Do you trust him that much? You know what the Alpha can do. He's already killed another person, a few hours ago. Scott knows that; he still won't act.

He bore down on her, stopping a breath away. "Are you going to let other people die? Or are you going to help me?"

Another person was dead?

Another person was _dead._

Her body dropped away, going numb though she stayed standing. Her breath caught for a moment, pressure bearing down on her. But the tremors went away, and a frigid glare settled on her face.

"I know Scott's name. That's more than I know about you. I know that Scott's never tried to guilt trip me. So, _if_ I stop this Alpha, I do it myself. On my terms."

The man scoffed, and she snarled in returned. It came out as a growl; a real growl.

"Get out of my room." The words dripped out of her.

He shook his head. "You're making a mistake."

"I don't think so." She shoved at his shoulder. "Get _out,_ or I'm calling the police."

Maybe a threat like that was weak against a werewolf, because he didn't move for a long moment. Then he did, climbing out the window and dropping out of view.

Ashton dragged herself over to it, and slammed it shut.


	3. Good Morning, Sweetheart

_a/n (10/13/2017):_ wellll after a year of deliberation i've changed ash's faceclaim, and this is like the only chapter that has physical descriptions of her so i'm updating that now :)

* * *

 _Jan 31, 2011_

Huh.

Ashton tilted her head to one side, then to the other, dampened curls dragging over her shoulders with each movement. It wasn't often – it practically never happened – that she spent her mornings examining her near-naked body in the mirror. But her underwear stopped fitting overnight. She was due for an examination.

And normally there was nothing to see except knobbed joints and long limbs and miles of brown skin going nowhere.

She pushed at her stomach, and there was a soft give of fat before her palm hit muscle. Abs. Holy shit.

She smiled and threw herself a wink before she scoffed at her reflection. That was embarrassing. Get dressed, god. She was kind of hot now, but she definitely didn't own anything that showed that off. Just a sea of sweaters and baggy jeans. She'd have to get new clothes … and new underwear.

"Before or after dealing with the Alpha?" She hummed to herself, pressing the heel of her palm to her forehead. "Before. If I die, I'm dying cute."

Hey, dumbass. No one was cute when the Alpha killed them.

"I officially need some friends," She ripped something to wear out of her drawers. "Now that I'm having conversations with myself."

She dressed and grabbed her backpack before leaving her bedroom. The rest of the house was dark and still, void of its other inhabitants. Mom was probably off on another business trip. Dad was probably taking another shift at the hospital. Caron was—well. It was the same as always.

She trotted through the house, and upon reaching the living room, turned the TV on. The volume was barely more than a murmur, serving as background noise as she made breakfast. A smoothie instead of cereal.

There was a feeling building up inside of her, something that had been growing since she woke up after the surprise midnight visit. She didn't know what to make of it at first, and she still didn't, but that wasn't stopping it from growing. The urge to change, to do something for once in her life. To wear different clothes, have a different breakfast, to talk to people and make friends. To take on a werewolf.

Maybe it was the fact that she had the power to do something.

She could so she wanted to. She could so she needed to.

She pressed the smoothie option on the blender with more force than necessary. It churned up the fruit, juice, and yogurt, and her mind emptied for a blissful 46 seconds. Then she poured the drink into a sports bottle and went to check the TV.

"The Sheriff's office has yet to release any more information on the two animal attacks that occurred this weekend." The newscaster read off before it cut to the Sheriff.

"All I can say is we have two casualties and one witness who's already cooperated. My advice is to stay inside after dark and stay alert."

Ashton turned the TV off, watching as the dark screen swallowed up the face of the sheriff. The lines of his face were deep set with exhaustion, his voice worn down. She didn't envy him. Did he even know what was really going on? She doubted it. She doubted anyone knew. Except for that creep from her bedroom and Scott. Scott, who was also a werewolf. Scott, who didn't want to fight the Alpha.

Scott, who discussed her werewolf-ness with Stiles.

She needed to talk to them.

She shoved the sports bottle into a pouch of her backpack, scooping up her skateboard as she did so. It had been recovered the previous day from the bookstore; luckily, she dodged all of Benny's questions and dipped out before he could corner her. As she was lacking a car, that board was freedom personified. Not that she had much use for freedom before, but now she sure as hell did.

She locked the door behind her and started off for school. A place she usually dreaded going too, she was now anxious to arrive. She needed to talk to the boys, she needed more answers, and then she needed to figure out what she was going to do. She didn't trust the guy from her bedroom, but something needed to be done before more people got killed. And if she had to do that, well then, she just had to do that.

It was only when she reached the school that she realized she had no idea where to find the boys. She didn't know their friends, their numbers, where they liked to hang out before school—there was no reason to know before. She spent the few minutes it took to lock up her board to think up a plan of action. She didn't have much time to look. She had to be effective.

Hey, perfect opportunity to see if that guy was talking out of his ass. Track them. She'd smelled them before.

"Yeah, never tracked anyone before, though." She grumbled to herself, stomping off to the main doors.

Still, it was the best idea she'd come up with, so she took a deep breath in through her nose. A swarm of smells hit her all at once, and she stumbled to the side, and into a corner. Her chest heaved, and she blinked stars from her eyes.

Okay, try that again. But, uh. Think of what it was like. Remember.

She breathed in again, deep and slow, picking through scents. Finally, she picked up on something faint. Or at least she thought she did. Maybe that was wishful thinking, but in all honesty, she was too frantic to think on it further. She pushed off the wall and melted into the crowd of students.

She used to know how to move through a crowd, to not be stopped or bothered. Now, it seemed that she was holding herself differently. Drawing attention to herself. Part of her hated it—part of her loved it. She lifted her chin, tossing her brown hair over her shoulder.

She had a mission sure. But you couldn't blame a girl for being a bit proud.

The scent grew strong and her steps grew quicker until she rounded a corner and it hit her like a truck. She squeezed her eyes shut, covered her nose with her hand. The arm warded of the ensuing collision, and the scent's owner bounced off of her and stumbled back with a squawk. Her face scrunched up in displeasure and she wiped her eyes before opening them.

"Stiles," She pinched the bridge of her nose with a sigh. "Right. Okay. You'll do—"

"Excuse me?" He huffed. "Just run into me and start judging, yeah, that's fine."

She glared at him before looking around. This section of the hallway had cleared out, perfect. She grabbed Stiles' sleeve and dragged him into the nearest empty room.

He squawked again and she shook him. "Shut up."

She let go and turned to shut the door. The familiar spicy scent hit her again, and she sighed. She glanced at him and met his glare steadily.

"What do you think you're doing?" He barked at her.

"I'm looking for Scott."

He raised a brow. "In here?"

"No," She rolled her eyes. "I'm talking to you in here, sweetheart."

"Sweetheart—why do I get the feeling that's not a compliment." His voice was dry, which was … funny. Annoying as this situation was, Stiles wasn't a pain to talk to so far.

"'cause it's not. Look, I understand what y'all were talking about before and I know about the werewolf stuff—"

His eyes bugged out and he slapped a hand over her mouth. She stiffened, head getting light as anger punched through it.

"Shh, shit, keep it down." Stiles shifted to look past her head. Presumably out the window of the door.

She pulled his hand away, giving his arm a warning squeeze. He yelped and pulled it back to his chest.

"Like anyone's going to hear—that's why we're in here." She shook her head, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "I know that I'm … that I'm a werewolf. This guy drilled that one into my head—"

"A visitor? Who? When?" Stiles spluttered, eyes going wide.

"I don't know! It was at night, a few hours after we met at the station? I don't know who it was, but he was a dick."

"A dick, huh?" Stiles nodded, crooked index finger pressed to his lips. "Dark hair? Blue eyes? Maybe … a leather jacket?"

"Yeah, you know him?"

"That's Derek, he's uh—" Stiles shrugged.

"A werewolf. He explained it to me," She rubbed her arm. "I don't trust him. And I don't really know you guys, but Scott's at least a nice dude. I wanted to compare notes."

Stiles sucked on his bottom lip for a moment, shifting back. "Scott's, uh. He left."

"Left?" Ashton shrieked. "What do you mean 'he left', left town?"

"No!" Stiles patted the air like it would calm her. "No, he ditched. With his girlfriend, Allison. It's like, her birthday or something. It's kind of fucked up, she's got a twin, y'know, so what's he doing today—"

Ashton raised a hand and set it on his shoulder to stop the rambling. "Okay. Okay, enough of that. I need to talk to Scott."

"I know just as much, if not more. You can talk to me." Stiles lit up at the idea.

"You're not a werewolf, I can smell that much. This chat is one I need to have with Scott." She let go of him, turned, and grabbed the door handle when Stiles touched her arm.

"What are you even going to talk to him about?"

"The changes. The Alpha," She shrugged him off. "If I need you, I can find you."


	4. I'm a Good Person, Sunshine

a/n: first note, this story was rewritten on 10/5 so if you haven't read the first three chapters yet, please do!

going into this story i had no idea what ash's relationship with stiles would be, but i have an idea after writing this chapter. i hope his characterization is decent!

* * *

 _Jan 31, 2011_

"Hey, you. I changed my mind. I'm going to help you."

Stiles dropped into the seat in front of Ashton, jaw clenched and eyebrow raised like he was daring her to refute that. She raised her own brows, slow and deliberate, like she wasn't collapsing into herself in a fit of _upsetness_ just a moment before.

Lunchtime was more of a blessing than usual, a bit of reprieve to let her get in control. The constant everything of the classroom was overwhelming with the 'enhanced senses' Derek talked about. The she experienced firsthand. There were so many people breathing, sniffling, fidgeting, and hundreds of perfumes and deodorants and shades of B.O that gave her a headache and wore on her very last nerve.

Two mechanical pencils and a pen lay shattered in her backpack. She'd cracked a desk. She almost _punched_ the kid behind her who kept bouncing his leg against her chair.

She should've taken a page out of Scott's book and ditched school.

She could have, probably, tracked him down and made him tell her how to handle these changes. Hell, she probably could have tracked Derek down and done the same. Never mind the fact that she was kind of a crap tracker, even worse at convincing people to do things for her. Not to mention the fact that the very idea of catching Scott banging his girlfriend made her want to fling herself off a cliff.

Maybe she should have gone home to take a nap.

"Hey, uh," There as a pause, which drew her from her thoughts. "Uh, just. Earth to Sunshine."

"Sunshine?" She snorted.

"Yeah."

"Cute. Original," She shook her head, sitting back in her chair. "What are you doing here?"

"I said that I changed my mind. I'll help you." Stiles repeated, syllables drawn out like he was talking to a toddler.

She stared him down before drawling, "Right, 'cause I was the one begging for _your_ help."

"Ha ha." He grimaced. Or smiled. Hard to tell. "You look like you're about to flip out. I definitely can't let you do that. So, I'm going to help you."

"Maybe you're what's making me want to flip," She smiled, voice a synthetic sweetness that left an acrid aftertaste. "How could you possibly help me?"

"Hey, I'll have you know I'm the reason Scott made it through this part of the change," He looked positively affronted. "And I'm a delight, you love my company."

Ashton breathed out through her nose, "You're … something. Something I'm tolerating. Barely."

"Yeah, see, that's a problem. One I'm here to help with."

He shrugged his backpack off and rooted through it. Ash shifted to hold her head in her hands, covering her ears with her hand in a futile attempt to block out the overbearing noise. The 'aha' sound Stiles made slipped through her barrier, and as she glanced up, he pulled a notebook out of the backpack with a flourish.

He flipped through a few page markers before opening it up. Then he smacked it down on the table, stood, and crossed to her side. The notebook scraped against the table as it was dragged closer, and Ashton winced.

"Scoot," Stiles bumped her with his hip until she conceded. "I documented what happened with Scott. It should apply to you."

She shifted forward and pulled the notebook in closer. The pages were a mess of observations, epiphanies, and corrections, all wrapped up in Stiles' scrawl. The corners of her eyes tightened, headache pulsing just behind them.

"What page is this?" She grumbled.

"Emotional Disturbances."

"Right." _Emotional Disturbances,_ what a dick way to put it.

"Figured that'd be on topic." He prodded with a pointed look.

She glared, and he shut up, but he kept staring which was almost worse. She refocused her efforts, trying to decode what his notes were saying. What a waste of time; Scott and her were different people. Different dispositions, there was no way this would be useful to her.

As she was about to shove the book away and storm off, something jumped out at her.

"What's an 'anchor'?"

"It's, like, someone that keeps you grounded." Stiles shrugged, leaning over to look at the page.

"I figured, it's in the name," She worried her bottom lip between her teeth. "How does it work?"

"I don't have one, I don't know. I guess that's something Scott could explain better." He flinched back when she smacked the table.

"This is why I needed to talk to _him."_

"Well, he's not here, Sunshine," He hissed. "Do you want help or do you want to go to class and rip someone's head off."  
"I want to rip someone's head off, that's why I need help." She snarled, and he recoiled at the look in her eyes.

Her mind flashed to the unnatural blue of Derek's eyes. Eye color change. Did she do that too? Or did she just look like she was going to murder him? Her mouth went dry and slack, and she dropped her head into her hands once more.

A miserable groan rattled in her chest, and after a long moment, a hand rested on her shoulder.

Stiles gave it a squeeze, "There, there. I got Scott through this—I can get you through it too."

He sighed, closed the notebook, and let go of her to put it away. She turned her head enough to narrow her eyes at him.

"Why? We don't get along."

He barked out a laugh. "The last thing I want is for you to go on a rampage."

She waved him off, "Well, aside from going on a rampage. You could just leave this to Scott. You could even make me go talk to Derek about this."  
"I sure as fuck don't want you to talk to Derek about this," Stiles shuddered. "I mean, sure, I _could._ But I'm a good person, Sunshine."

Ashton waited to see if he'd expand on that, until a single raised brow said he wouldn't. The bell rang, and she lifted her head. "Okay. Okay, I'm gonna go home. I reckon that'd be best."  
"I think so too, but what about Scott?" Stiles threw a leg over the bench so he could stand.

"Scott isn't here, how many times are we going to go over this?" She stood, exasperated.

Stiles followed her, standing and trotting after her towards the exit. "He's not here _now,_ but parent-teacher conferences are tonight."

"So?"  
"So, Scott's not doing too hot in a few classes. He's supposed to go tonight."

She grimaced. "Okay, whatever. I'll come back for the conferences and catch Scott there," She glanced back at him. "Thanks."

He faltered, face going lax in surprise. She took that moment to slip out the doors and rush away. Parent-teacher conferences, shit. Did her's even know they were happening? Mom didn't, she would bet money on that, but would Dad? Would he bother to show up? If she were Caron, they'd both be there. They were always there for Caron.

Her chest got tight, breaths coming out in thin gasps the farther she walked. She burned, like if she jumped into a hot tub after being in the pool, and she tugged at the hem of her sweater. She caught on the stitches of her sweater, and she jerked her hands back. A quick succession of pops and tears followed the action, and she glanced down.

Oh shit. Oh fuck.

Claws pushed past the ends of her fingers, dark and sharp and bits of yarn caught on the jagged ends of them. This triggered a spreading awareness of her body, jarring because it didn't _feel_ like her body. A bright pain hit her gums, sharp points eventually pricking the inside of her mouth. _Claws and fangs_ was that what Derek had said?

A strangled groan slipped past a lump in her throat, her eyes rolling in her head. She couldn't control this, it wasn't stopping, and it hurt. It hurt, and she didn't have a fucking anchor, and she didn't know how to stop this.

She screamed, a chill running down her spine as hit the air as a howl.

It was too much. The world ceased to be.

* * *

a/n cont: hopefully scott shows up next chapter, the anticipation is killing ME!

and at least one other oc should show up

thanks for reading! please leave a review, they really inspires me to go faster! and thanks to those who have left reviews so far, i smile every time i think of them!


	5. A Nice Chat in the Preserve

hope you guys have had/are having great holidays! last update of the year, but i actually have the next chapter half written which i like, never do so yaaaaay. and this has actually been beta'd! by my lovely friend jane!

* * *

 _Jan 31, 2011_

"Oh shit, please don't be dead."

The voice, vaguely familiar but not in a way Ashton could place, drifted through layers of molasses-like unconsciousness. And Ash stirred.

"No," She mumbled, mouth loose as an over-oiled joint, and tongue thick with disuse. "Few more minutes, please."  
Caron was always such a stick in the mud about timing. When to wake up, when to shower and start breakfast, when to leave for school. She had it all figured out, and never left any wiggle room for Ashton to haggle with. It was so annoying.

Icy fingers brushed over her neck, and Ashton shrieked, rolling away from them. Her palms, upon pushing off, sunk through some dry-crackling stuff, into cold mushy stuff and the illusion of being in her bedroom on a Monday morning vanished. Her eyes popped open, and she looked up, witnessed bare trees instead of a glow-in-the-dark star covered ceiling.

"Fuck, okay, you're not dead. That scared the shit out of me." The voice spoke again, tense and with strained lightness.

Ashton looked over.

She didn't know this girl, not personally. She remembered the girl had asked her to sign a petition the year before. That was it. Well, this was quite the place to cross paths again.

Ashton sat up, grimacing as leaf stems poked through her sweater and scratched at her back. She reached up to try and brush some out of her hair. "Guess not."

"Guess not," The girl repeated. "You're Monroe, right? A. Monroe?"  
That was a weird way to put it. Ashton frowned, opened her mouth to answer, and the girl barreled over her.

"Probably shouldn't be out right now, Monroe. What with all the attacks." The girl stood, swatted dirt off her brown paisley skirt, and adjusted the strap of her bookbag.

"Yeah, the attacks." Ashton nodded slowly. Considering she'd had no idea about _werewolves_ before being turned, she didn't think this girl would either. "You shouldn't be out either, then."  
The girl snorted. "Aw, hun. Sweet of you to return the concern."

Ashton stood, taking stock of her surroundings as she did so. It was later in the day for sure. She didn't know what she'd done after blacking out at school, or how long she'd been out, but the conferences wouldn't be over until after dark.

"I'm serious. Do you live near here?" Here was her chance to do good with these powers. Escort a girl home, fight off the Alpha if it shows up.

The girl's green eyes flashed with something, Ashton didn't know what, and she shook her head. "Monroe, I'm here to help you out, not the other way around. That was totally stupid of you earlier, changing at school."

What.

From the base of her spine, spreading through her body in an instant, was the feeling of mortification akin to hitting your elbow on a table.

"That's what locker rooms are for, though." The words spilled out before she could process what was just said.

The girl laughed. But it wasn't like she was amused- it was like she was annoyed. "Funny. But what you did, wasn't funny. See, you're lucky. Hale, I'm sure you've met Hale, told my sister that there was a baby-beta in town. Admittedly, not the term he chose, but it's fitting. And she told me to find them and keep an eye on them."

The girl started walk; taking small, sauntering steps as she gestured with her hands. Tiny, tiny hands.

"And Monroe, bless your heart, you weren't subtle at all. So, I kept an eye on you. And when you totes lost it, I herded you out here so you could run off the energy. I lost track of you for a bit, but I did find you in the end. You're _welcome._ "

"How do you know about this? Who the hell is 'Hale'?" Ashton spluttered.

The girl stopped. "Hale? Derek Hale?"

Ashton pinched her nose. "Okay, I didn't know his last name." She dropped her hand, and her voice to a whisper. "So, did he tell you? Are you a werewolf too?"  
The girl pressed her lips into a line, masking a smile. "Uh, no. I guess… Derek didn't explain much, did he?"

Ashton paused. What to reveal, what to hold back. Obviously this girl knew things. Derek did too, but he only told you what he wanted you to know when he wanted you to know it. Which was bullshit. Everytime something bad happened, she ran into someone just like him.

Partly why she wanted to talk to Scott so badly. If he'd been changed by the Alpha like Derek claimed, then he shouldn't know too much more. Have too much of an advantage. But it wasn't just that. Derek hurt her on first meeting, and Scott had worried for her. So, she wasn't going to say anything that got him screwed over. Or herself, for that matter. This girl could've been fishing for info to see if she could kill Ashton.

Then again, she could've when Ashton slept.

The girl raised her brows, cocked a hip out and rested a hand on it.

"He told me about what I am. What I turned into. He told me about the Alpha, and he told me about—" Well, maybe she shouldn't out Scott to this girl.

"About good ol' McCall?" Okay, guess Derek talked about him too. But why?

"Yeah. Why'd Derek ask _you_ to look out for us?" Ashton scowled.

The girl rolled her head back, dark curls slipping off her shoulders as a sigh slipping past her lips. "He really left you in the dark about a lot of shit, didn't he?" She lifted her head again. "Okay, obviously you werewolves aren't the only supernatural creatures to exist—"

Really? Oh.

"My family… advises. We keep tab on what's going on in the community, and if people have questions, we fill them in. Even keep tabs on the human community too, just in case."

Ashton brought a hand up to bite at a nail. "Does… that mean you're not human?"

The girl paused. "Well… I am. My family isn't."

Ashton wanted to press. Ask what they were. But the look on the girl's face screamed _sore spot_. "What's your name, then?"

The girl blinked a few times, then bowed with a flourish. "Koralia Tatiana Megalos, at your service. Call me Kora, Monroe."

Ashton nodded, slowly. "Most people call me _Ashton_ , not my last name."

Kora straightened. "Is it a problem?"

"I … guess not."

" _Great,_ Monroe." Kora locked her fingers and stretched her arms in front of her. "Now that introductions are sorted, we should get out of the woods."

Right—the Parent Teacher conferences. Ashton had no car, her board was at school, and she had no idea how far the school was from here. But she needed to find Scott.

Ashton looked around. The sun had gotten lower in the sky—it'd probably start to get dark soon. Then turned back to Kora. "Okay, so you herded me out here. What, on foot?"

"No, hun. You're fast. I was on a bike."  
Ashton clasped Kora's hands in her own. "Okay, great! Where is it?"

Kora looked down at their joined hands, then snorted. "The entrance to the Preserve."

"Cool, I need to use it."

Kora pulled her hands free. "What? No! Why? You run so fast, why not run?"

"I'm not sneaky! Please, I need to get to the school before the conferences are done." Ashton… did not whine. It was similar to a whine, but it was not a whine.

Kora fixed her with an unimpressed look. "Why?"

"I need to talk to Scott."

"Right, Scott wasn't in school." Kora nodded slowly. "And you need to talk to him right now?"

"The sooner the better. So, yeah. Now."

Kora looked at her for a few seconds more, scuffed her foot over the ground, then started off down the trail. "Fine. I'll give you a ride."

"You have two-seater?"

"No, I have a rack over the back wheel, or you can sit on the handle bars. If you want a ride, those are your options."  
Ashton followed, worrying her bottom lip. At least if she crashed, she'd heal pretty fast.

The two made their way through the Preserve, silent save for the crunch and snap of leaves and twigs beneath their feet. Just when Ashton began to worry about being lost, they got to the entrance of the woods, and sure enough, Kora's bike was there. A large lavender cruiser, with the aforementioned rear rack.

Ashton looked it over with a furrowed brow while Kora unlocked it from a tree, and stood it upright.

"Will the rack hold me? Is it sturdy?" Ashton asked, but really she should've asked if Kora could even manage the thing. It dwarfed her, just like Ashton did.

"I don't know," Kora swung a leg over frame. "Probably. Come on."  
Ashton sighed, looked up at the sky, then went over. She perched sidesaddle on the rack, twisting her torso around to hold onto Kora's waist.

And then they were off. And soon enough, Ashton regretted every moment of her life that led up to this moment. Rocketing down hills and around turns, the only thing offering stability was an arm around a tiny waist, and a hand on a tiny wire rack. Not only that, but it was getting steadily darker. Which wasn't a problem for Ashton, a werewolf, but Ashton wasn't the one driving this thing, was she?

"Hold on, Monroe!" Kora hooted.

"Focus on the _road,_ Kora!" Ashton snapped back, tightening her arm.

Kora cackled, taking them down yet another steep hill, and Ashton closed her eyes and willed it to be over soon.

Some time later, the wind died in her ears, and they stopped.

"We're here. Looks like conferences are ending." Kora puffed, chest heaving beneath Ashton's arm.

Ashton opened her eyes. It was dark now, and the school's parking lot was beginning to fill with parents and the occasional teen. But, she didn't smell any fresh exhaust. Scott was probably still here.

She hopped off the bike. "Kora, thank you. I owe you."

"Sure, Monroe. See you around." Kora shook her head, and kicked off again, weaving through the growing crowd of people and, quite frankly, abusing her bell.

Alright. Time to find good ol' Scotty.

* * *

a/n: *drops my face in my hands* scott please just show up already im dying.

welp, now you've all met another oc. and scott cant slither out of the next chapter. and the story will pick up the pace soon.

please leave a comment, i'd like to know your thoughts on this!


	6. Parking Lots Suck Pt 2

_a/n: k so yeah my upload schedule is garbage and there's nothing i can do about it. ch 7 is half written so it'll be posted at some point. comments inspire me to upload faster tho. thanks for reading thus far. and special thank you to my friend & beta reader, jane!_

* * *

 _Jan 31, 2011_

Ashton really didn't want to track Scott's scent, not after that morning. The pain in her nose and the headache that lingered afterwards weren't things she was gunning for. But the reality of the situation was this: she didn't know how long she had to find him, so she had to do that fast. Wandering around the front of the school looking for him was slow.

She took a deep breath, letting the many scents that lingered around the school filter in through her nose. Hit the ground running by sorting through them immediately, instead of getting hit all at once.

And there was that dog smell – _wolf_ smell, but it was faint. He wasn't in the crowd of people leaving the school.

 _Shit._

"Oh no, no, no, where are you, Scott?" She started forward, a half-trot speed-walk towards the entrance to the school.

He had to be here. She had to talk to him, time was running out, wasn't it? People died all the time, and what had Derek said? That she'd have to do something before the full moon? Join the Alpha or die? And that was in, what, five days?

"Shit." She slowed to a halt near the front steps, craning her head up to see through the crowd.

She was tall enough already, and all the craning in the world wouldn't change this. Scott wasn't here.

But his parents should be.

Ashton didn't know their scents or what they looked like. But Stiles said that Scott needed to be here, and he wasn't. They had to be pissed about that. If they were, maybe they'd try and call him? She could eavesdrop for that.

She focused intently, flitting between conversations, searching for a _Scott,_ or a _McCall,_ or a _where are you, you were supposed to be here._

But as the seconds dragged on, she heard nothing.

Ashton cursed, her upper chest pinching and squeezing with frustration. Time was running out. To get more information, to come up with a plan, to do anything to take her fate into her own hands instead of being a pawn for Derek or the Alpha. She tore her hands through her hair, and the pain that blossomed from torn tangles gave her a bit of clarity.

Deep breaths.

Wait.

Entering the area, getting closer, nearly smothered by the stench of gasoline was the wolf-y scent.

Ashton whirled around, scanning the parking lot like the scent would be visible to her. Her feet moved of their own accord, her ears straining to pick up on his voice. Anything to make actually finding him possible.

 _"Scott, you need to call me_ right _now."_

 _"Your mom?"_

 _"Yeah, I'm. I'm dead."_

Ah, shit. There was…. no way Ashton could ask him about this wolf shit with his mom ripping him a new one. Ashton glanced over towards the school as she edged along the sidewalk separating the parking lot and the school.

A woman going down the stairs, hand coming away from her face. Probably Scott's mom. What should she do? Search the cars, or talk to her? Say something like… 'Hi, I'm Scott's English partner. We have an assignment due soon and I don't know how to reach him'?

A few more people on the phone left the school, and before Ashton could come to her own decision, ran into Scott's mom. Well, there goes that plan. She tuned them out, stepping out into the parking lot.

"Scott?" She pitched her voice low, hoping his enhanced hearing would pick up on it. "I need to talk to you before you get royally screwed."

A few more steps and no response.

"Scott. Scoooott." She huffed, peering into the first cars she reached.

A set of doors closed, the sound ringing out through the air, and Ashton turned reflexively.

There he was, and there was Allison. And just past them in her line of sight, the trio of adults fixing the two lovebirds with varying disappointed parent faces. Shit.

She would not listen in. Absolutely not. The secondhand embarrassment would be far more deadly than the Alpha.

Ashton reached up, rubbed her eyes, and scuffed a foot over the asphalt. She reached out to listen to anything else, brows creasing when something… not quite right reached her. A faint, rapid clicking on the asphalt, heavy breathing, soft growls.

Someone screamed. People were running.

Ashton's head snapped up and to the side, nostrils flared as her breathing shifted into high gear. Fear smelled strange. It scraped the inside of her nose.

Well, the whole reason she was out here in the first place was part of a grand plan to help people. Whatever was lurking amongst the parked cars had to be dealt with now. Talking to Scott could wait.

She breathed in short bursts, picking through the scents for something inhuman. But the fear and the gasoline smothered so much, and really, she didn't have much practice with the whole scent-tracking thing. Sight and sound it was, then.

Slipping through the space between cars, Ashton let her thoughts take the backseat and moved purely on instinct. Knees bent and body curved just slightly, she hunted the prowling thing down. To stop it, either from hurting someone or to stop mass panic from getting someone hurt. Whatever. She didn't have a plan but she was new to this whole altruism thing.

"Move!" The voice was familiar.

However, she couldn't stop to look in the direction of it, because a blur of darkness passed along the edge of her vision. She whirled around to track it, lurching forward to catch it and –

Gunshots.

She froze, breath locked deep in her chest. She went cold—was it fear, was she hurt—and when she could breathe, the chill and the stiffness in her body faded. Fear. Well. At least she wasn't shot, for whatever reason. But really, that reaction was something she'd definitely need to do some introspection on, especially considering… everything that was facing her.

She shook her head, pushed her fingers through her hair and tucked the face framing strands behind her ears. Its been a long day. Talk to Scott before he leaves and go home.

Ashton continued in the direction the blur traveled, towards the gunshots. Passed through the last row of cars previously blocking her from the front of the school. People were already gathering, but she picked her way through the crowd.

On the ground lay a dead mountain lion. And Ashton wasn't sure what she was expecting, but the rush of resigned melancholy that hit her certainly wasn't it.

"Good shot." That same voice broke an unnervingly long silence. The sheriff, on the ground before he was helped up.

Ashton followed his gaze, and it landed on the man that spoke to Scott's mom earlier. The assumed father of Allison. Oh, and there the rest of them were—Scott, Allison, his mom—all in one convenient location.

"Alright everyone. This'll be taken care of, go on home." The sheriff spoke once more, and after a hesitant pause, the crowd began to break up.

Now was her chance.

Ashton skirted around the dead animal, nearly leaping to cross the last bit of space between her and Scott before his mom could get a word in.

"Scott!" She gasped, hands out like she was surprised. "Thank goodness, I've been lookin' for you everywhere."

Scott's eyes went wide when they landed on her, and his lips parted.

"Ashton?"

Oh, how the fuck did he know her name? She didn't tell him. She wasn't talked about at school. She pushed her unease aside, hoping it didn't show on her face before she smiled.

"I lost your phone number, and I needed to ask you something about the… assignment that's due soon." She widened her eyes further. Come on, Scotty, go with it.

His brows furrowed for a second before he made a soft noise of acknowledgement. "Right. The assignment."

"The English assignment." She nodded, then swallowed. "About myths. And legends?"

His eyes flicked to the right before focusing back in on her, and Ashton took notice of her peripheral vision. Scott's mom still stood close by, and Allison was beginning to walk away from them, flanked by her parents. Hopefully she wasn't the unreasonably jealous type, Ash would hate to ruin young love.

"Yeah, looking forward to that one." He reached up to rub the back of his neck. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to meet before school. Compare notes, clear some things up on it. Would that work for you?" She blinked a few times, attempting the less potent version of puppy-eyes that she'd mastered as a child.

He hesitated, searching her gaze. She attempted to make her expression more open, and that whatever he found there made him want to agree.

He then shrugged. "Sure, that works for me."

She couldn't help it. She beamed. "Great! Half an hour before school starts, the library?"

"See you there." He returned the smile, then it faltered as he turned to face his mom.

Ashton glanced over as well, jumping a little when she noticed his mom's frown directed at her. She waved reflexively, dropped her hand, and clasped them behind her back.

"I don't think we've met," the woman spoke, holding a hand out to Ashton. "I'm Melissa, Scott's mom."

"I figured." Ashton stepped forward and accepted the handshake. "I'm Ashton. Ashton Monroe."

Melissa's brows raised and her mouth formed an O shape. "I think I know your father. Does he work at Beacon Hills Memorial?"

"That's him." Ashton blinked, stunned, and let go of Melissa's hand.

"Small world." Scott laughed, just a bit forced.

Melissa glanced at him before she turned, scanning the rest of the area. "That's funny, I don't see him anywhere." She looked back at Ashton. "Did you drive yourself here?"

Ashton shifted in place. "Uh. No, I got a ride from a friend. I was just going to walk home."

"What? Oh no, honey, you can't walk home by yourself." Melissa's brows raised again.

Scott's eyes flicked up to the sky, lips pressed into a line before he looked back at Ash and mouthed 'sorry.'

"I'm sorry, but I can't spend the night in the school, ma'am." Ashton frowned.

Melissa opened her mouth to speak, sighed, closed it, and then tried again. "No, Ashton, that's not what I meant. We'll give you a ride home."

"Oh, you don't have to do that." Ashton spluttered, looking between them.

"It's pointless to argue," Scott cut in. "When Mom's dead-set on something, there's no changing her mind."

"Ha ha, Scott. I'll remember that when I come up with your punishment for ditching today." Melissa fixed him with a look.

Ashton sighed, running her thumb over the side of her opposite hand. "I'd just hate to impose."

Melissa's expression softened. "I insist. I wouldn't feel right letting you go off on your own."

Ashton nodded, and after Melissa glanced at both her and Scott, turned and made her way through the parking lot.

 _Feb 1, 2011_

Ashton leaned up against the wall, a few feet from the library's entrance. She folded her arms over her chest, chin dropped close to her chest so that her hair fell like curtains. Letting her observe the few students milling about while hiding herself.

She was early.

Sleep had eluded her most of the night, chased away by her fear of the future and an inconsistent wariness with herself. When she had a second to think, she was afraid of who she was becoming. Unfortunately, laying down to sleep was the prime time to think.

The moment it became a somewhat acceptable time to wake up, she was out of bed.

"Ashton?"

She pulled herself from her thoughts, looking down the hall in the direction of the voice. Scott offered up a small wave.

"Mornin' Scott." She dipped her head in greeting. "Thanks for coming."

He shrugged, jamming his hands into his pockets. "I did say that I would."

She returned the shrug, pushed off the wall, and jerked her head towards the door. He nodded, and they went inside the library.

The library was mostly empty, just a few students and a staff member behind the desk. They searched for an empty table and found one close to a back corner. It was completely void of other students, the perfect spot to have hushed conversations about the supernatural.

They sat opposite of each other; Scott met her eyes. "Okay. So, you _were_ the person that got attacked."

"Yeah." She frowned. "Was that still in question?"

"No, not really. We, uh. We checked the attack report at the station. Stiles and me. We just needed to know who to look out for," Scott added quickly. "We weren't trying to invade your privacy."

"So, that's how you knew my name." She nodded slowly. "It is what it is. And it's only fair that you know that, since I know you got attacked by the Alpha too."

Scott froze, eyes narrowing. "How do you know about the Alpha?"

"Derek told me." She shrugged off his agape expression. "It's why I wanted to talk to you."

"What did Derek tell you? When did he even talk to you? And why?"

She leaned back in her seat.

A chill shot down her spinal column, and her back tensed in protest. She didn't like thinking about her meeting with Derek. She couldn't stop thinking about her upcoming doom deadline. Less than a week before the full moon.

"He told me a lot of stuff. About the changes. About the Alpha, and what it wants from us." She leaned forward again, frowning deeply. "He told me that you aren't doing anything. That people are dying and you don't care."

"I do care." Scott snapped. "But what am I supposed to do about it?"

She shrugged, helpless. "I don't know. I don't know what we can do. But how can we do nothing?"

"Look, Ashton. I just want to fix my grades, play lacrosse, go on dates with my girlfriend, and not go on a murderous rampage."

She pursed her lips, tapping the top of the table.

He really wasn't going to try and stop the Alpha?

She popped her jaw. "So, when the full moon comes, what are you going to do?"

He sighed, raising his eyes to the ceiling before looking to the side. "I don't know. I need to try and talk to Stiles about that and figure something out. But there's no way I can take on the Alpha."

"Maybe not alone," She leaned forward, eyes widening. "But you aren't alone. I'll help! Derek will, I think. I don't know, I guess you know what he wants better. But I want to stop the Alpha, I don't want to kill anyone."

"You changed, what, three days ago? And I changed like, two weeks ago. How could we possibly stop the Alpha." Scott shook his head. "It's a suicide mission, Ashton. I can't do that."

She pursed her lips, nostrils flaring. His face twitched, and his eyes shot to her. She shoved back, chair screeching as the legs dragged over the floor.

Ashton fixed him with once last look before storming out of the library.

* * *

a/n: scott's finally frickin here thank GOD. we can move on from that now.  
hope you enjoyed this, please leave a fave or a review if you did （*´▽｀*）


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